


you know you’re a star, you can touch the sky

by daisylincs



Series: Spideychelle Week 2020 [2]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Emotional, F/M, I was expecting this to be just snark and humour, Lily's Spideychelle Week 2020, Romance, Snark, Spideychelle Week 2020, and surprisingly philosophical, but then it got so emotional!!, cliche first meeting, oh well I love it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:34:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24858454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisylincs/pseuds/daisylincs
Summary: MJ had always hated the concept of soulmates. It was so demeaning to say that you needed someone else to be whole - that you should define yourself and your happiness by your soulmate.MJ always told herself that the minute she met her soulmate, she would give him a solid kick in the ass. What she didn't bargain for was all the stories being true.Dammit, all the stories were true. She really did feel all breathless and tingly and wanting to start smiling for no reason.
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: Spideychelle Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796671
Comments: 22
Kudos: 70
Collections: Spideychelle Week 2020





	you know you’re a star, you can touch the sky

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! When I saw this prompt (soulmates) I literally freaked out - it’s one of my favourite tropes to write, EVER. And now I get the chance to do it for Spideychelle!!
> 
> The only problem was picking a version of the whole soulmates world that I liked - there are just so many good options! You know, seeing colour, tattoos, all that. In fact, it’s all so fun I can actually see myself expanding this into a whole universe, so I can explore all those different variants of the Soulmates AU for Spideychelle. 
> 
> But that day’s not now. I did eventually settle on which version I’d use for Spideychelle, because, well, this fic exists. Somewhat obviously, it’s set in an AU world - we’re just going to pretend the radioactive spider got squished before it could bite Peter. 
> 
> The title for this fic comes from Good As Hell by Lizzo, which is one song I never thought I’d be using for a soulmates fic, but… Spideychelle happened! And I’m definitely not complaining.
> 
> So with no further ado, here we go! I’m very happy to present my entry for day 2, Spideychelle + Soulmates.

MJ had always hated the concept of soulmates. It was so demeaning to say that you needed someone else to be whole - that you should define yourself and your happiness by your soulmate. 

MJ always told herself that the minute she met her soulmate, she would give him a solid kick in the ass. What she didn't bargain for was all the stories being true. 

Dammit, all the stories were true. She really did feel all breathless and tingly and wanting to start smiling for no reason. 

… At this point, it was probably a good idea to backtrack a little, and review just how the hell she got herself into this situation.

The Day, as she later took to calling it (note the capitals) started just like any other Wednesday. 

And of course she had to meet him on a Wednesday of all days, of-freaking-course. Wednesdays were the _worst_ days - her boss, Fury, was always particularly grumpy on Wednesdays. 

Like every Wednesday, Fury came storming into the office building, his one eye blazing with a particularly thunderous annoyance today. “Jones!” he barked when he passed her desk. “My coffee, now!” 

Even though she was seething at the blatant abuse of authority, MJ didn’t complain. Except on Wednesdays, Fury was actually a pretty damn good boss. His newspaper, The Sunday Shield, was one of the most integrated she had ever come across - Fury himself was proof of that. 

As for the quality of their work, well, while MJ kind of hated to admit it, the way Fury pushed them all really did make them produce spectacular results. And the best thing was, he was completely unbiased, and if anyone’s work was shit, he would tell them so no matter how high up they worked.

Wednesdays, though… for some reason, Wednesdays always put him in an astoundingly bad mood, even for Fury’s standards. MJ had learned a long time ago not to question him on Wednesdays, and just to suck it up and do what he asked.

“Suck it up” and “stop complaining about it in your head” were two very different things, though, and no amount of sucking it up was going to make MJ stop complaining about it in her head. Fury was such an asshole, what gave him the _right_ to be so pissy on Wednesdays, anyway? 

She was so busy complaining about it in her head that she forgot to watch where she was going, and, in the most cliché way possible, crashed right into someone going the same way.

Coffee went flying, and MJ cursed under her breath as some of the scalding beverage splashed onto her shirt. _Great._ Now all she needed was for the guy she had crashed into to be her soulmate, and the cliché would be complete. 

“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” the guy said, dismayed, stepping forward to try and brush the coffee off her shirt. 

MJ stepped sharply away. Accidentally creating a cliché was bad enough; she _definitely_ wasn’t going to let it go any further. And anyway, trying to brush coffee of shirts was stupid - everyone knew it didn’t _work._

The guy didn’t seem to get her Not Interested-memo, though. “Ma’am, I am _so_ sorry,” he apologised again, brown eyes wide and full of dismay. “I totally wasn’t watching where I was going, and next thing I know, you’re there and you’re walking right into me!” 

There was something kind of sweet in the way he rambled on, and if it had been any other day of the week, MJ would probably have stayed and tried to talk to him a little longer.

But it was Wednesday, and Wednesdays were the _worst._

“It’s fine,” she said tiredly. “Go on, we can pretend this never happened.” 

The guy still looked guilty, though, and kept pace with her when she turned away. “Can I buy you some more coffee to make up for it?” he asked, worrying at his lip. 

MJ shook her head. “No need, it’s not for me. It’s my boss’s.” 

“Oh,” the guy said, pausing for a moment. MJ didn’t wait, so he had to do a little run-skip to catch up with her again. Ah, the joys of having long legs. 

“Well, can I buy the coffee for your boss, then?” he asked when he was by her side again. “It would only be the second one this morning.” 

Despite herself, MJ was intrigued. “The second one? You mean you’ve already bought my boss a coffee this morning?” 

The guy’s cheeks reddened, and he ran his hand through his hair in embarrassment, making it stick up in all directions. MJ scolded her brain for finding it cute. 

“No, no,” he explained, cheeks flushed, “I’ve already had to go buy coffee for _my_ boss this morning. For some reason, he’s always in the _worst_ mood on Wednesdays.” 

That brought MJ to a stop. “What did you say?” 

The guy almost tripped over his own feet turning around when he realised she wasn’t next to him anymore. God, he really was incredibly awkward, wasn’t he? 

“Uh, well, I just said my boss gets really cranky on Wednesdays,” he said when he had recovered his balance, cheeks burning. 

MJ looked at him for a moment, completely nonplussed. “Huh.” 

“I know, I know, he shouldn’t be abusing his power to send me over for coffee,” the guy said, obviously misinterpreting her silence. “But he’s a good guy, really, and the only time he ever sends me out like that is on Wednesdays. He’s done so much for me that I figured getting him coffee once a week is only fair, even if it is technically an abuse of his authority.” 

“I get it,” MJ said, because she really, really did. This guy, whoever he was, had just summed up the _exact_ reason why she swallowed her complaints every Wednesday and got Fury the damn coffee. “Uh, so… who’s your boss?” 

“Oh, uh, I work for Tony Stark,” the guy explained, sticking out a hand awkwardly when he realised they hadn’t actually introduced themselves yet. “I’m Peter. Peter Parker.” 

“Michelle Jones,” she said, taking his hand and shaking. “Call me MJ.” 

A strange expression passed across his face, and MJ started to think there was something wrong, until she felt it, too.

_Completion._

It was like some piece of her she didn’t even know was missing had just slotted into place, leaving her gasping for breath. She felt… complete. That really was the only way to put it. 

She was hit by a rush of happiness so intense that it nearly knocked her off her feet - her entire body seemed to be singing, _finally_ and _found_ and _perfect._ Like she had been looking for this missing piece of her all her life, and now that she had found it, everything was perfect. 

The guy - _Peter_ \- looked up at her with wide eyes. “Um,” he said blankly. And blinked. “Um,” he said again. “I think you’re my -”

MJ’s mind finally shook off the dizzying wave of serotonin and snapped to its senses. “Soulmate,” she finished in a snarl, ripping her hand out of his.

She was shocked, she was shaken, and above all, she was _furious._

MJ had always hated the concept of soulmates. It was so demeaning to say that you needed someone else to be whole - that you should define yourself and your happiness by your soulmate. 

MJ always told herself that the minute she met her soulmate, she would give him a solid kick in the ass. What she didn't bargain for was all the stories being true. 

Dammit, all the stories were true. She really did feel all breathless and tingly and wanting to start smiling for no reason. 

She raged at the universe as she took another step back: how _dare_ it decide that she needed someone else to be whole? And how dare, dare, _dare_ it make her so happy about it?

Because she was! Happy! And she did feel whole, more complete than she had felt in her entire life. It was like there had been a gaping void in her life, and she didn’t even notice until it was filled, taking what seemed to be a world’s weight off her shoulders.

The worst thing was, the further she walked away from Peter, the more she could feel the emptiness starting to creep back in. 

Speaking of - Peter was coming right after her, his expression every kind of confused.

“What’s wrong?” he asked when he reached her, holding out a hand like he might brush it across her forehead.

She slapped his hand away viciously. “Don’t touch me.”

The effect was instantaneous. First shock, then confusion, then hurt, then _loss_ flashed across his face, so profound that she could almost feel the emotions herself.

“But… I don’t…” he said, the _look_ on his face wrenching at her heart.

MJ shook her head sharply. She had never thought…

She had never thought, that was it.

“Look,” she said, forcing the words through a suddenly dry throat. “You seem like a really nice guy.”

“But you don’t want anything to do with me,” he said, the accusation in his voice like a slap across the cheek.

She swallowed. Her throat suddenly felt far too tight, and the world around her seemed to be pressing closer, hemming her in until she wanted to press her hands over her ears and scream.

This was all wrong. This was all _wrong_ \- he wasn’t supposed to be hurt like this!

_She_ wasn’t supposed to be hurt like this!

“Look,” she said again, feeling as though she was watching herself speak from across the room, her throat tight and wishing she didn’t have to listen. “It’s not about you. At all. It’s just…”

She took a ragged breath, grabbing her scattered thoughts and steeling them into a line the way Fury had taught her. 

Truth. She needed to tell him the truth.

“I just hate the idea of a soulmate,” she told him, and almost whimpered in relief when the pounding in her head eased, and the world seemed to draw away slightly and stop hemming her in.

Peter’s expression shifted. He didn’t look relieved, exactly, but the loss had softened, leaving something a bit more like understanding. “Why’s that?” he asked quietly.

MJ released a shuddery breath. “The whole thing,” she admitted. “I just… I can’t _stand_ it.” 

She took another breath, and it was as though the dam broke, pouring out every bit of resentment that she had been holding for years. “The idea that there’s some master plan, telling us who we should be happy with? Who should make us _whole?_ Who is the universe to say that we’re not whole already? What if I wanted to be my own person? What if I’m fine the way I am, and I don’t want some other person to butt into my life and tell me how I should be feeling happy?”

She had never poured out so much emotion in her _life,_ and it left her breathless and quite exhausted. 

Peter was silent for a minute. “I think,” he said at last, “I can see what you mean. But -” he took a deep breath “- I don’t agree.”

MJ nodded. “I wasn’t expecting you to.”

He caught her arm just as she was turning away, spinning her around to face him again. “No, wait. Hear me out.” 

When she didn’t budge, he added in a low, pleading voice, _“Please.”_

MJ hesitated, torn. On the one hand, she wanted nothing more than to get away from all this and forget it had ever happened. But on the other hand… he had listened to what she thought, giving her a full and fair chance to speak her mind even though she didn’t agree. 

The least she could do was to give him the same chance.

“Okay,” she said, turning to face him fully. “Tell me what you think.”

He released a quick, nervous breath. "Okay. Well, forgive me if I'm not as, uh, eloquent as you, because I'm kind of just saying what, you know, feels right.” 

“That’s fine,” she said, and she meant it.

He closed his eyes for a second, and she could see him concentrating, struggling to find the words for what was swirling around in that curly-haired head of his. 

“Well,” he said at last, opening his eyes. “The way I see it, a soulmate isn’t the universe’s way of trying to tell you that you’re not whole the way you are. Because that’s not true - anyone is more than good enough on their own.”

She could see he believed every word he was saying - it shone out of those earnest, but bright brown eyes as he looked at her, sincere and hopeful. 

“A soulmate, for me, is the universe’s way of making you a promise: telling you that here’s this person that will be there for you no matter what, to support you even in your lowest moments. It’s not _forcing_ you to be with your soulmate - it’s telling you that if you want to, there is someone who you can trust no matter what.” 

His expression was turning more and more passionate as he got swept up in what he was saying, his eyes shining with an excitement so infectious MJ almost found herself smiling along. 

“And you don’t _have_ to go with your soulmate, at all,” he continued. “I don’t think you should see it as the universe chaining you to this one person. I think you should look at it as the universe _offering_ you this person, who will be by your side no matter what. 

“And in the end, it’s your choice whether you want to be with them or not, because MJ, there’s _always_ a choice. But if you choose to let your soulmate into your life, you’re giving yourself the chance to know this person who will support you through _anything._ You’re also giving yourself the chance to _be_ that person for someone else. 

“And I think that’s beautiful.” 

When he finally stopped, his eyes alight with the total belief and excitement for what he had said, MJ found herself catching her breath.

It was like she had been looking at things in black and white all along, and now someone had flicked on the lights and colour had come streaming in.

She had never thought of it like that - but it made so much _sense!_ Of course soulmates were a choice you made, a choice and a promise to always be there for each other.

And when it was phrased like that…

Well, when it was phrased like that, soulmates really were something beautiful.

MJ didn’t know exactly what had gotten into her - later, she would blame shining-eyed nerds with passionate, beautiful speeches that touched her heart in a way nothing had ever done before - but she closed the distance between them and kissed him, quick and light, on the lips.

Peter blinked up at her, and the mixture of awe and surprised delight on his face was enough to make her kiss him again. It lasted a lot longer this time, with Peter wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close and MJ returning the favour by looping her arms around his neck.

She pressed her forehead against his when they had to pull apart for breath, feeling a small, giddy smile tug at her lips as she opened her eyes slowly.

“So, uh,” Peter said, reaching up to tuck a curl of hair that had gotten loose behind her ear, “does that mean you’re willing to give this a chance?” 

MJ rolled her eyes, but there was no venom behind it. “Yeah,” she said, smiling at him and feeling her stomach do this kind of happy flippy thing when he smiled back, ecstatic.

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day!” he exclaimed, pressing a quick, happy kiss against her lips. “Definitely the best thing I’ve heard on any Wednesday.” 

That was when MJ remembered - it was Wednesday! Oh, God, Fury was going to be… well, he was going to be furious. 

“Shit,” she yelped, stepping back and starting to run towards the coffee shop, half-hauling Peter after her. “My boss is going to kill me!” 

Peter followed, and managed to use his charming smiles to sneak them into the front of the line, something which cemented MJ’s decision to keep him around on the spot. Coffee line benefits? Uh, count her _in._

“You know,” Peter said when she had gotten Fury’s ridiculously complicated coffee order for the second time that day, much to the dismay of the barista, “I think I’ve figured out why our bosses are always so pissed off on Wednesdays.” 

“Oh?” MJ hummed, leaning on the counter and quirking her eyebrows at him.

Peter grinned, looking so adorably pleased with himself that MJ had to stop herself from leaning over and kissing him right there. (Who knew a soulmate would have _that_ effect on her? She would certainly never have guessed…) 

“The only thing that makes sense,” he said smugly, “is if they’re meeting each other every Wednesday! I mean, think about it. They both own newspapers - the Sunday Shield for Fury, and the Avenger’s Times for Mr Stark, and they’re both stubborn as _hell._ And the only time those two newspapers cooperate is on the Consultant’s Pages, which comes out on -” 

“Wednesday afternoons!” MJ finished triumphantly, throwing her arms around him in a spontaneous hug (which, _what?_ MJ didn’t do spontaneous, and she _definitely_ didn’t do hugs. But right now, she honestly didn’t care. This had made her _day.)_ “Oh my God, Peter, you’re _brilliant.”_

“Another reason to keep me around,” he said wryly. 

MJ reached over and laced her fingers with his, looking up at him with a kind of warmth that made her simultaneously feel vulnerable - she didn’t _do_ warmth, come on - and ecstatically happy. “Yep, you’re staying,” she said, and as the grin spread across his face, she thought, honestly, this day could never have turned out better. 

Not only did she finally know why Fury was always so pissed off on Wednesdays, but she had also met her soulmate.

And she had never thought she would hear herself say this unless she was being held at gunpoint _and_ under suggestibility serum, but for today it was actually true: a Wednesday - specifically, this Wednesday - had been the best day of her life. 

“Come on,” she said, squeezing Peter’s hand and feeling a flood of warmth flow through her when he squeezed back, giving her a soft smile as he balanced Fury’s coffee order in his other hand. 

That’s when she knew without a shred of doubt that she had made exactly the right decision. Being with Peter made her unbelievably, giddily happy, cliché as it was - and how could anything that made her so happy possibly be the wrong choice?

_What’s the point of our lives,_ she thought, _if not doing things that make us happy?_

And since being with Peter made her so happy… well, then, she was going to be with Peter for the rest of their lives.

_**The End.** _

**Author's Note:**

> So, guys, I hope you liked that! I don't usually put notes at the end, too (I prefer to get everything I want to say over and done with in the beginning) but I'm making an exception today because I wanted to give you all a little update about the next day of Spideychelle Week. I am so excited about the WIP I've got for Day 3 - it's an Aladdin AU! Problem is, it's been giving me a lot of nonsense with the ending, and I just haven't been able to get myself to edit it yet. So, basically, while there's definitely a fic coming for Day 3, it's definitely going to be late, and probably not just late but _horribly_ late. Ah, well - my dad always says good things come to those who wait, and I guess it's time to test out that theory.
> 
> Thanks for stopping by! xx


End file.
